eBook Formats and Readers ?'s

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by ConRefit79, Jan 6, 2010.

  1. JWolf

    JWolf Commodore Commodore

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    To be honest, it's not going to change a thing should it be real. It'll just be over expensive and the first version will not be worth buying. It won't be a game changer. ePub already has the inroads with readers via ADE with many companies. The iPhone/iPod Touch have not changed anything. The Macbook air changed nothing. Apple products are nice to look at, but game changing? nope.
     
  2. snakespeare

    snakespeare Commander Red Shirt

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    Well, that is a strong opinion. I don't agree at all, but this is not thread for it. I will only say that iTunes changed the music industry, the Mac UI changed the personal computer, and the iPhone is still the one thing the competition wants to take down. I expect the iTablet (or whatever it will be called) to do the same for the news media and eReaders. You don't. Since neither of us has a crystal ball, we are both guessing.

    Do you work for MicroSoft? I'm not asking this sarcastically. You just sound like someone with a vested interest. I don't work for Apple, but I have been an Apple user consistently for 26 years. I have also used PCs for even longer, as my job requires that I use the same platform as my customer, and that can change on a daily basis. I say this soley to give full disclosure. You?
     
  3. JWolf

    JWolf Commodore Commodore

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    According to Nokia, Apple stole some of the iPhone from them. So who knows. And Apple stole the GUI from Xerox.
     
  4. Kataaran

    Kataaran Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    LOL. Apple don't revolutionise but they do take what exists and evolve it. The app store has forced a lot of other phone companies to build their own. Then there's the iPod. I hear people say "I want an iPod" not an "MP3 player". Apple products outsell their competitors products not by being cutting edge but by being usable for the masses.

    Would I like a radio in my iPhone? Yes. A more open way to customise it? Yes. But I trade that because it's so much better than the Winmo crap I used for years that crashed and was unintuitive to use.

    The Macbook Air however is a big pile of pants. :p
     
  5. reech

    reech Lieutenant Junior Grade Red Shirt

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    I moved on from on iPaq to using eReader on an iPod Touch but yes, as people have said, any type of 'lit screen' for reading books does really tax your eyes. I could quite happily use the device for reading a few pages when bookless, bored, and brain-starved, but to actually *sit down and read* in the house, I just couldn't stand it.

    My e-ink reader is much better for that type of reading. Yes, as a geek, I want a device that can 'do it all' but that's a way off yet.
     
  6. snakespeare

    snakespeare Commander Red Shirt

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    As a former Xerox employee, I know the truth. Xerox chose to terminate the PARC project and the engineers contacted Steve Jobs of their own volition seeking to continue their work. Apple hired all of them and increased their pay. This is still talked about in Webster, NY with regret, not to mention in Palo Alto, CA.

    I notice you have not answered my question, and you continue to display characteristics of someone who has a vested interest. So I will, for now, assume that you work in Redmond. I have friends who work there, and they all hate Apple.

    Tell me, how does it feel to know that the CES was dominated by discussions concerning a device that did not yet exist from a company who did not attend? LOL!

    As to whether the iPad (the latest rumored name) will affect the change that the Kindle has been trying to accomplish for a few years, we'll see. It's coming out one week from today. So I'm not going to buy any eReader or Kindle until I see what this new device can do.
     
  7. tmclough

    tmclough Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Don't forget, he also worships Sony.
     
  8. JWolf

    JWolf Commodore Commodore

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    So your waiting for a device that may or may not be real. That's silly. Plus, one of the features of a reader is 8+ hours of battery life. The odds are that if this thing ever exists, it won't have 8+ hours.
     
  9. JWolf

    JWolf Commodore Commodore

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    My opinions are my own. I don't work for anyone who influence my opinions. I just happen to like Sony Readers.
     
  10. snakespeare

    snakespeare Commander Red Shirt

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    You are still in denial? January 27th. Be there.
     
  11. JWolf

    JWolf Commodore Commodore

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    Even if it was to become reality, it's not going to be all that wonderful as a reader.
     
  12. Turbo

    Turbo Changeling Premium Member

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    Dude. It's coming. Every single leak from Apple points to it.

    That said, I do agree that it won't be as good as a reader. My mom got a Kindle for Christmas and I must say that I was shocked at how different it is reading books on the Kindle as opposed to a computer or iPhone. I could certainly see myself doing it much more often on the Kindle.
     
  13. snakespeare

    snakespeare Commander Red Shirt

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    In an article today at Wired they are quoting data from Flurry that is tracking application downloads. It says there are about 50 devices inside the Cupertino campus that are likely iSlate models and it lists the type of apps that are being downloaded. Top DL's are games, with entertainment 2nd, and books and news services 3rd, AHEAD OF MUSIC! Take that for what it's worth. ;)
     
  14. Ktrek

    Ktrek Captain Captain

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    That still doesn't mean that the islate is worth the money to use as an ereader. I cannot see how any backlit device will be any good for extended ereading. I have tried it on a 42 inch HDTV I have and also on my laptop and the most I can do is about 40 minutes without getting a headache but I can read on my nook for 4 hours with no headache nor any eye fatigue. I'm not willing to invest a thousand dollars in the islate just to look cool. To me Apple products are like designer clothes....way too flashy and overpriced!

    Kevin

    Kevin
     
  15. snakespeare

    snakespeare Commander Red Shirt

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    ^granted. There is a limitation to use of that sort of reader on the bus. I ride everyday and I see NO kindles, nooks, or other e-readers. I only see people reading paperbacks, and the occasional trade edition, but rarely hardcover and so far, no ebooks. So it may have a lot to do with the flickery way the light is when you ride past a stand of trees, or turn a lot of corners.
     
  16. Ktrek

    Ktrek Captain Captain

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    ^ Or it could just be that not many people in your neck of the woods are aware of ereaders yet. This is still a relatively new technology and this past year the ereader market has really grown.

    Kevin
     
  17. JWolf

    JWolf Commodore Commodore

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    There were a lot of new readers shown at CES.
     
  18. Kataaran

    Kataaran Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    I know I'm likely the exception that proves the rule but I read a lot on my iPhone and don't suffer eyestrain from it. I am prone to headaches (I have some specially tinted glasses to help with light induced migraines). I think it must be a size thing, a great big lump of light from a 20 inch monitor causes me problems but a tiny mobile screen never bothers me.
     
  19. snakespeare

    snakespeare Commander Red Shirt

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    I think the really big thing that is going to change tomorrow is the distribution system for ebooks. Details are sparse, but they appear ready to go forward with what is being called the "agency model". Right now it just sounds like a marketting scheme. We'll know more when they announce it tomorrow.

    What I'd like to see is something similar to a subscription service where you could pay a monthly fee and read any book in the catalog, but when your month runs out they all become inaccessible. But that's just my imagination. If they did that, I'd be the newest fan of Sonya Gomez!
     
  20. JWolf

    JWolf Commodore Commodore

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    The problem is that the DRM has been stripped or will be stripped. ePub & Mobipocket already have time limiting DRM but both can be streipped and there goes the time limits.